Peterborough United chairman on sharing the Ronnie Edwards transfer profits with Barnet

Posh sold Edwards to newly-promoted Premier League side Southampton for a reported £3 million earlier this month, a fee MacAnthony is comfortable with, even though the player’s former club Barnet receive half of the initial outlay as well as half of all future profit.

Posh could have received more money from a very keen Championship club, but Edwards, who is listed as 5ft 11ins, had set his heart on Southampton and MacAnthony was happy to honour a pledge to the 21 year-old about letting him move to a club of his choice.

"It’s a modern day miracle for a club in League One to have kept hold of a player of Ronnie’s ability for four years,” MacAnthony told his club’s subscription service. “And I’m happy with the fee because I am confident we will do fantastically well financially as Ronnie’s career develops. I'm also happy that Barnet will share it with us. We’ve done some great business with them over the years. There was a Championship club very keen on Ronnie, but he wouldn’t even talk to them. He told me when he came back from holiday where he wanted to go and, after not letting him leave in January, I was happy to honour my promise to him.

“I’d rather sell players when we are in the Championship than in League One because they will go for more and believe me Ronnie would have gone for five times as much had he been 6ft 3in as Premier League clubs are obsessed with height. I will chuckle to myself in three years time when Ronnie has proved himself. Southampton manager Russell Martin is intelligent enough to play Ronnie and he is ready for the Premier League.”

MacAnthony confirmed Posh have received a payment from Ipswich Town re Jack Taylor following their promotion to the Premier League.

Posh are also due a payment regarding Scottish international centre-back Jack Hendry who left Posh without playing a senior game aged 18. He is now 29, played at the 2024 Euros, and is now playing in Saudi Arabia.